Tip Tuesday! - Walking Foot

Tip Tuesday! - The Walking Foot (AKA Even Feed Foot) 

Welcome to

"Tip Tuesday!"

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give credit where credit is due whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired! 

Are any of you old enough to remember THIS SONG by Nancy Sinatra?

These boots are made for walkin'

And that's just what they'll do

One of these days these boots

Are gonna walk all over you

Are you ready, boots? Start walkin'

Come on. I know you want to sing along. Go ahead. Nobody's watching. Play it again and do the dance too? 

Well, I think we quilters should change it up a bit to say: 

This foot is made for walking,

And that's just what it'll do.

One of these days this foot 

Is going to walk all over you!

Are you ready quilters? Start walking!

******************************************************************

Are you thinking that I've lost my mind or have you figured out what foot I'm talking about? 

I'm talking about the wonderful walking foot (also known as even feed foot) for our sewing machines! 

For those of you are familiar with your walking foot and use it a lot, please feel free to leave a comment here to provide the rest of blogland with some insight as to why and how you use your walking foot. I'm sure some of you are using your walking feet in ways many of us have never even considered.

Please! Educate us! I always want to learn more.  :-)

So, What Is a Walking Foot & What Does It Look Like? 

Basically, the average walking foot is a big, bulky, odd-looking foot that has an arm (or two) that attaches to the needle bar.

    

A walking foot is designed to move, or feed the top fabric under the needle at the same rate as the feed dogs are moving the bottom fabric, eliminating slipping or "creeping" of fabric, puckering or pleating. 

In other words (or perhaps a better visual) would be to say that the walking foot provides a gripping action from the top of the fabric which coordinates with the grip of the feed dogs, which are built into the bed of the sewing machine. As the bottom feed dogs pull (or feed) the fabric under the needle so that even stitches are created, the walking foot is gripping and pulling the fabric from the top. (They have learned to play nicely so we quilters get great looking quilts!)

In order to get the best results, it is very important to buy the correct walking foot for your machine brand and model. 

Some machines come with a walking foot built into the machine. It usually sits to the back of the machine, near the pressure foot lever and can be engaged when needed. This is often referred to as integrated dual feed.

Some walking feet come with interchangeable soles that are switched to best accommodate the fabric used and task being performed. 

The Standard or Basic Sole (most common) is for attaching most fabrics. It is used for knits or other fabrics that have "give" (are stretchy). The Standard Sole has a 1/4" marking on it which is great for attaching binding or working with narrow seams on "slippery" fabrics.

The Quilting Sole is open to allow for better visibility for quilting. This sole also does a great job of keeping quilt layers from slipping or shifting while machine quilting.

The final sole is the Edge Stitching Sole. This is perfect for edge stitching or top stitching, especially on quilt pieces or stretchy denim.

How Does It Work? 

In a nutshell, a walking foot helps keep fabrics aligned when sewing.

A walking foot has built in feed dogs that grip and advance the upper layer of fabric as it travels through the sewing machine. This is done in unison with the machine's feed dogs, which grip the underside of the fabric. This action keeps the layers from shifting apart as they move through the sewing machine and prevents puckers, especially during straight line quilting. It is also especially helpful when sewing together rag or denim quilts and when sewing a binding to a quilt. 

Probably the most challenging part of using a walking foot for me was figuring out how to attach it properly. I would strongly suggest you have someone show you how to attach the foot, or do an internet search for a you tube video, etc. for your specific machine. For example you might search for "how to attach a walking foot to a bernina sewing machine."  

Uses for the Walking Foot
   
Attaching Borders - The walking foot helps to eliminate the fabric shifting that causes the borders to begin even, but end up with excess at the end. 

Matching Plaids, Checks, and Stripes - Because it reduces the shifting of the fabric, I am able to match plaids, checks, and stripes with much more accuracy when I use my walking foot. I do pin, but I find I don't have to use quite so many when i use the walking foot. This is great because I love to work with stripes!

Sewing with Knits, Minkee or Other Stretchy/Slippery Fabrics - I find that I have a problem with the fabric stretching when I sew with knits, Minkee or other stretchy fabrics. Using my walking foot has definitely improved that and I am much happier with the results.

Sewing with Laminates, Oilcloth or other "Sticky" Fabrics - Some fabrics are bulky or sticky and just do not want to move freely through the machine. The walking foot grabs on to them and helps push them through. 

Top stitching - The walking foot helps to eliminate the often inconsistent stitches I get when top stitching, that I believe are caused by the bulk created by the seam allowance. 


Quilting - straight line, in the ditch, etc. - Because the walking foot helps to feed all the layers together evenly, quilting through the quilt sandwich is much easier than using a "regular" machine foot. You do still need to baste, but I'm sure you will be much happier with your results if you use a walking foot. I sure am. 

Attaching Binding to a Quilt - When I first started quilting, I found that I often encountered puckering on the underside and uneven sewing along the top while I attached bindings. I wasn't too thrilled with the results, considering how much time and effort went in to making the quilt. Once I was told to use a walking foot to attach binding, those problems disappeared and binding is actually one of my favorite parts of the quilt making process.  

Get Your Own Walking Foot?

As I stated before, in order to get the best results, it is very important to buy the correct walking foot for you machine brand and model. 

The first thing you should do is a bit of research to see if your machine requires a specific walking foot. Many manufacturers make their own, which are compatible exclusively to their machines and/or models. 

Now I know that some people have called the walking foot an investment foot because of the price (mine now retails for around $180), but consider how much you will use it and make the decision for yourself. You can always look for sales and buy then. 

There are generic walking feet which might work on your machine. I've seen those priced as low as $20. If you think the generic feet might work for your machine and know someone who has one, why not ask if you can try it out on your machine? Even though it fits and works, it may not produce the best quality stitches and you haven't spend any money. 

I have had my walking foot for many years (I believe I paid right around $100), and bought it because I hated the way my quilting looked. Knowing no different, I only used the walking foot for quilting and even though I was much happier with my quilting results, I was not thrilled with my binding. (I didn't have such wonderful access to the internet to learn about all the other ways I could be using this foot so I was stuck in a rut and figured this was a "one purpose" foot. Boy was I wrong!) 

When I finally asked a local shop owner for suggestions, she told me about the walking foot and I was thrilled! I can honestly tell you the I have NEVER used another foot since that day to attach bindings and I have bound a lot of quilts - my own and for many other people.

A student once told me that she felt the walking foot looked a bit menacing and that she was scared to use it. 

I completely understand that, but this foot really is a GENTLE GIANT and I know you will LOVE it - once you figure out how to attach it! :-) 

Tip Tuesday! - Needles

Tip Tuesday! - Needles 

Welcome to

"Tip Tuesday!"

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give credit where credit is due whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired! 

Over the past few weeks, I've been asked a number of questions about the needles I use for piecing and quilting. 

What brand do I use? What size do I use and how do I know what size to use? How often do I change the needle? What do the colors on some needles mean and why do some brands have colors and others don't? 

These are all good questions so I got busy pulling information and sorting through it to write up a Tip Tuesday! post. 

It didn't take long before I realized that I would simply be reinventing the wheel and actually doing a disservice to try and compile a truly comprehensive post regarding needles. There are a couple of really well-written and organized websites that I use as references when I have questions, so I'm going to share them with you.

The first website I REALLY like is from Superior Threads. 

http://www.superiorthreads.com/education/

Not only does it have information about needles (general information and not just about their own needles), but they have a pretty extensive Education area that covers needles, threads, tension, etc. There are also some well-produced videos to view. 

http://www.superiorthreads.com/videos/

The second website I like is from Schmetz Needles.

http://www.schmetzneedles.com/all-about-needles/

This site does a nice job with explaining why a specific needles works well with specific fabrics. It also explains their color coding system. There are also a couple of videos you might find interesting.

http://www.schmetzneedles.com/online-sewing-needle-videos/

Take some time and learn about one of the most important tools we as quilters use. For those of you who only change your needle when it breaks, I hope this changes your thinking on that. :-)

Design Wall Monday

Before you ask, no I did not finish my red and white Prairie Star quilt that I posted last week. I did work on it a little, but as you read on through this post, I think it will become apparent why I have decided that it's a good thing that I didn't work on it very much.

Instead of working on the Prairie Star quilt, I felt the need to finish up a few projects that I've had sitting around here for a while. I wanted to be productive, but not have to think too much. With that in mind, I pulled some quilt tops and prepared them for quilting and binding. 

Everything was going along swimmmingly until yesterday evening. I had finished two quilts - simple meander quilting and even finished the bindings, and I was feeling so good. Ok, I admit it, I was feeling a bit cocky. 

Since all was going well and I was being so productive, I decided to make the backing for my "dark" version of Zen Garden and get it ready for quilting. 

I really like this quilt  - and every other quilt designed by Little Louise Designs that I have made - so I knew that once I got started it would go quickly. (Click HERE to see the "light" version of the same quilt.)  

All was going well and I was even using up some stash to make the backing. I like this, don't you?

Well, I guess maybe I was tired or perhaps I was just not paying attention. I don't know, but I do know that my backing isn't wide enough! ARRGGHHH!!!  It's plenty long, but that doesn't help me. :-(

Can you see that the top left corner of the backing is shorter than the quilt top? The right side is lined up exactly, so there is no excess there from which to "borrow." I decided it was time to just put this away and try again later. I think I have some extra of the print fabric that I could piece together and make another strip. We'll see though....

Do you see why I have decided that it was a good thing I didn't work on the Prairie Star and have to think? That just might have been ugly!

Anyway, on a positive note I did completely finish two quilts. This first one was actually not a UFO, but I was so excited to try a strip piecing method for making Granny Squares that I spent part of last Wednesday pulling fabric and trying the technique. I loved it and this quilt is the result.

It's not too often that I begin and finish a quilt in such a short amount of time, but this was so easy and I was having fun. I still wasn't feeling well and did not want to have to think while sewing. This was perfect and I really like the end result!

The quilt below had been a quilt top just waiting to be finished for quite a while. I already had the backing and binding ready, but I just hadn't quilted it. It's done and I really like this too. (Quite a bit different than the Granny Squares now isn't it?) I've named this one Color Splash.

Anyway, I was productive and even though I am now faced with a backing challenge, I'm pretty happy with my progress. The Prairie Star quilt is not put away. It's just set aside for right now. It will be finished soon because I'm feeling much better and I really want to finish it!

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times and be prepared to be inspired.

Tip Tuesday - Mitered Borders (A Day Late and a Dollar Short)

Since I've been back from Tennessee, I've not been feeling well and my days are totally confused. Needless to say, I completely forgot to post my Tip Tuesday! yesterday and rather than completely skip it, I decided to post it a day late. 

Tip Tuesday! - Mitered Borders 

Welcome to

"Tip Tuesday!"

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give credit where credit is due whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired! 

I have learned to love stripes and not be afraid to use them. I especially like using stripes for borders and in order to "have it work," the corners need to be mitered. I used to be afraid of mitering borders, but no more! I love the look created when a stripe wraps around a quilt top or a floral fabric gracefully flows around the corners of a quilt. I hope my explanation is helpful and you find that you enjoy mitering corners as much as I do. 

 

Mitered Borders

The seam of a mitered corner is more subtle than that of a square corner or one with cornerstones, so it seems to “flow” better around the quilt top. In the case of using striped fabric for your border(s), mitered corners create the illusion of a continuous line around the quilt or form radiating lines that flow from the center of the quilt, depending on the direction you choose to cut the striped fabric.

Completing a mitered border corner complements the overall design of the quilt and can help solve a number of design “issues.” Mitered corners are ideal for striped borders, floral borders, pieced borders or even multiple plain borders. No matter what type of border fabric you are using, sew multiple borders together first and treat the resulting unit as a single border for mitering.

Stripes Options

            1. Radiating Away From Quilt Center

2. Framing or Continuous Lines Around Quilt

How the stripe is on the fabric will also determine how much you will need. The maximum length of strip for #2 is whatever the width of the fabric is, approximately 40” – 44”, or it will need to be pieced.

For borders that create framing or continuous lines around a quilt, you will need the fabric to be at least the size of the length strips calculated below, or pieced to be that length.

Step 1 – Measure Quilt Top to Determine Border Lengths

(You will measure the quilt in both directions through the quilt center to calculate a “base” measurement for each border.) 

Measure your quilt from top to bottom through the middle of the quilt. This will give you the length of your quilt.

Measure across the middle, from side to side to get the width of you quilt.

Step 2 – Determining the Cut Length of the Border Strips

When you are sewing the border strips on for a mitered corner, you must add extra length for the miter. Use the following formulas to determine the length of border strips needed for all sides of the quilt.

Side Border Strips:

            Quilt Length Before Borders  +  twice the border width +  2”

Top and Bottom Borders Strips:

            Quilt Width Before Borders  +  twice the border width  + 2”

Here’s an example:  Your quilt top measures 48” x 64” before borders, and your borders total is 9.5” (border 1 = 2.5”and border 2 = 7”)

Side Borders Strips:  64  +  9.5  +  9.5  +  2  =  85”  Cut 2 this length***

Top and Bottom Border Strips:  48  +  9.5  +  9.5  +  2  = 69”  Cut 2 this length***

***You may have to piece these strips to get the required length.***

Step 3 – Center and Pin Border Strips in Place

When centering and pinning border strips in place, fold the quilt top in half and place a pin at the center of the quilt side. Fold and pin the center of the border also. With right sides facing and raw edges aligned, match the pins on the border to the quilt. Working from the center out, pin the border strip to the quilt top. The border will extend beyond the quilt top edges. Do not trim this overhang. This overhang is equal to what was “allowed” for the miter.

Step 4 – Sew the Border Strips in Place

Sew the border to the quilt. Start and end seams ¼” from the raw edges. Backstitch to secure. Press the seam allowance towards the quilt top, away from the border.

(picture from mccallsquilting.com)

Join the remaining borders in the same manner. Pin the previously sewn borders out of the way, if necessary.

Step 5 – Making the Mitered Corners

With right sides facing, fold the quilt diagonally, aligning the raw edges of the adjacent border. Pin securely. Align a ruler along the diagonal fold. Holding the ruler firmly and using the 45° angle line, mark a line from the end of the border seam to the raw edge. This will be your stitching line.

 

(picture from mccallsquilting.com)

Start machine stitching at the beginning of the marked line close to the quilt top. Backstitch and sew out to the raw edge. Backstitch at the raw edge as well. Be sure to start the line exactly at the spot where the border stitching finished. Otherwise you will end up with a pleat. Stitch directly on the pencil line, being careful to not stitch into the seam allowance or the body of the quilt.

Repeat the process to miter the remaining corners.

Step 6 – Check for Accuracy

After you have stitched the corner seam, unfold the quilt and check to see that the corner lies flat. With quilt right side up, align the 45° angle line of square ruler on the seam line to check for accuracy. Correct any stitching if necessary. If corner is flat and square, trim seam allowance to ¼”. Press the corner seams open.

Design Wall Monday and Catch Up Time

It's Monday and I have something on the design wall so..... 

I've always wanted to make a red and white quilt and I thought that Judy Niemeyer's Prairie Star would be a good pattern to use. Here's Judy's version, as seen on the cover of the pattern. 

My friend Kare was at the same workshop and she too was working on a Prairie Star. This is the only picture I have of her's and it does NOT do the quilt justice. (The fact that the picture is taken with the quilt on a tiled floor doesn't help either!) I love her fabric choices. Isn't it amazing how different they all look?

Kare and I were both sick during the workshop, along with a number of other participants and I have done nothing on my quilt since returning. I'm still not back to 100%, but I'm getting close. Hopefully that means I'll get my quilt finished and ready for quilting. I still have to sew in five of the corner units that are shown in the picture and then construct and add my border units. I've already been thinking about the quilting too. 

Since I was still sick this past weekend, I was not able to join a number of my sisters at Ann's house for a long weekend of quilting/sewing/relaxing fun. That made me very sad, but I guess they were thinking of me too. Look what showed up at my house Saturday. I have the best sisters!!

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times and be prepared to be inspired!

Tip Tuesday! - It's Travel Time

Tip Tuesday! - Travel Time 

Welcome to

"Tip Tuesday!"

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give credit where credit is due whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired! 

I just returned from a Judy Niemeyer workshop at Tennessee Quilts and it I got me thinking about how challenging it can be to pack for a quilt-related trip. You certainly don't want to forget anything, but you also don't want to over-pack and have way too much stuff. Just take some time the week before your scheduled trip and make a list. That should really help you.


Of course you may never be totally prepared, but don't spend too much time worrying about it. During this last trip, I was pretty well set until I got sick. I wasn't prepared for the sickness, but had a wonderful hostess who made sure I had the medicine and supplies I needed. (Thanks Denise!) I missed a couple days of the workshop because I was sick in bed, but when I returned, I was able to quickly get back on track because I had all of my supplies ready and waiting.

So, take some time and get prepared. Here's a list of suggestions for when you are going to be a Quilter On The Go! 


First and foremost, check with the organizer as to what is provided for you. There is no need to take a full-size iron and ironing board if those things are provided. If you want to take a small iron to have next to you, that would probably be ok, but be sure to ask if that is ok because that might affect the electrical system at the facility.


If you are taking a class, be sure to have everything on the list provided by the teacher, or at least have access to share them with your quilting buddy. If there is pre-cutting or prep work that needs to be completed, please be sure to do it. This will not only help you stay on task, but it will help keep the entire class on task as well. (It really is a pain if the teacher has to spend a lot of time helping a number of students play catch up, and it can even slow down the progress of the entire class.)


In terms of supplies, here is a general list to consider. (Be sure to have some way to mark your tools with your name, so you don't lose your items.) Of course this is not an exclusive list and you may find that you need to add or subtract items. This is simply meant to give you a good starting point.


General Supplies
*Sewing machine with manual, accessories/attachments, power cord, foot pedal, bobbins (having extra wound is a great idea), extra needles, screwdriver, oil, cleaning brush, etc.
*Rotary cutting supplies, including mats, rulers and extra blades 
*Scissors, snips ad seam ripper
*Thread
*Pins and pin cushion
*Thread catcher or bag for trash
*Extension cord/surge protector
*Specialty lighting, if needed
*Zip Lock bags (great way to organize your project in steps)
*Sticky notes to help keep things organized
*Notebook, pen, pencil, etc. to take notes
*Cushion to sit on (your back will thank you!)
*Pattern, fabrics, etc. for the class or projects - each in its own bag


Misc. Items to consider taking
(Some of these items should be in your purse anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to have it in your sewing stuff also.)
*Emergency Contact Info (names, phone #s and cell phone #s)
*List of medicines you take (don't forget to take the medications!)
*List of allergies you have, etc.
*Bandaids
*Camera (batteries and charger if needed)
*Cell phone and charger
*Shopping list
*Money/Credit Cards
*Snacks (in zip lock bags to keep snacks fresh)
*Drinks (water, soda, etc.)

Other Stuff:
*Dress in layers so you are prepared for cold or warm rooms
*Business cards (this makes sharing contact info really easy!)
*Ear Buds for music (playing music or using your speaker phone can be very annoying for those around you!)

Tip Tuesday! - A Spray Starch Alternative

Tip Tuesday! - Quilters' Moonshine!

Welcome to

"Tip Tuesday!"

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give credit where credit is due whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired! 

Quilters' Moonshine 

No, It's Tip Tuesday!, Not Tipsy Tuesday!

Have you ever tried to press out that annoying center fold line that most fabrics have when it comes right off the bolt? It's a real pain, isn't it?

Ok, maybe we should have had the pre-washing discussion first, but since we didn't, just follow along and pretend that we did. :-)

As I was saying, that fold is a real pain and no matter how hard I tried, it just didn't press out. I tried using various heat settings on my iron, various spray starches, etc., but I just wasn't satisfied with the results. 

Well, for the past year and a half or so, I've been making and using my own homemade spray starch alternative.  I call it Quilters' Moonshine. (After reading the ingredients list, you'll understand the name.) I've been very happy with the results, and I use it on my clothing as well as my fabric.

Since I've had some recent requests for the recipe, I decided that this would make a great Tip Tuesday! post. So, here we go. 

Quilters' Moonshine

 This recipe makes a little over a gallon so be prepared to make it in a bucket or large bowl and then transfer to other containers.

Mix well: 
1 gallon of distilled water
1/2 - 3/4 cup liquid starch (I used Sta-Flo)**see note below
1 cup vodka (cheap is fine - and now you know why we call it Moonshine!)

You can add up to 4 teaspoons of your favorite essential oil for a scent, if you'd like. I did not do that. I don't particularly care for scented items because I never know if it will set off my allergies. 

**I like to use 3/4 cup of liquid starch because I think it works much better, but many people have told me that they only use 1/2 cup and are happy with the results. The choice is yours. Try it with 1/2 cup first and if you don't feel it's working at the optimal level for you, add the other 1/4 cup. 

That's it! 

Mix it well and pour into other containers. Since this makes a bunch, you can give it as gifts to your quilting buddies, or keep it all for yourself. Of course you could also cut the recipe in half and just make less, but what fun is that?